Leadership & Advocacy
Worker Education
While living in South Africa, I volunteered with worker education programs, contributing to a series of Rhodes University workshops centered on both the history of the trade union movement and the strategies for confronting present labor challenges. One of these was the Vuyisile Mini Workers' School, commemorating the life of trade unionists and ANC stalwart, Vuyisile Mini. Most of the participants were non-traditional students working full-time jobs in the manufacturing industry while balancing full-time trade union work and family life. By working with the participants on a daily basis, I helped guide them through reading and writing tasks, culminating in a certificate at the conclusion of the program.
Leadership in the Field
I am actively involved with the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR), where I have held multiple service positions: the SHAFR Code of Conduct Task Force Committee and the SHAFR Graduate Student Committee (3-year terms)
Since returning from my Fulbright I volunteered at a Fulbright seminar, "The Future of Work," with the support of the Institute of International Education (IIE)
In addition, I have worked as a mentor with the Mellon Engaging Humanities program, where I mentored ten transfer students during the 2020-21 academic year.
Finally, I work as an editor. I'm a freelance editor of secondary school textbook content through Turning Leaf Editorial. Some of this work involves curriculum development and fact-checking. I also work as a Journal Watch Editor at H-Diplo.
Political Engagement
I worked as a poll worker for the 2020 Presidential General Election, including the early voting period. Tasks included registering voters and administering ballots. I also answered voter questions and tried to instill trust in the election system.
Service to the UCSB Department of History
I am a co-founder (along with Addie Jensen) of the Cold War Working Group (CWWG), a branch of the UCSB Center for Cold War Studies and International History. The CWWG is a community of scholars that provides graduate students space to workshop papers, connect with alumni. We also host a publishing space for undergraduates, the "This Day in Cold War History" blog, where I serve as a reviewer and editor. For this work, I won the Dick Cook Service Award in 2022, along with my co-founder, Addie Jensen. I currently maintain the CCWS Twitter (X) page
I served as the Vice President of the History Graduate Student Association (HGSA) during the 2019-2020 academic year. In this role I advocated for graduate students and organized social events, fostering graduate student community.
